New Pokemon Gold & Silver Facts Discovered

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In this video, Did You Know Gaming takes a look at some all new facts surrounding the development of Pokemon Gold and Silver.
Follow DYKG on:
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Special Thanks
Translation: Jacob Newcomb
Artwork: Rachel Briggs
Proofreading: SnorlaxMonster, Sanqui, Danimal
Research/Writing by Dr Lava
Video Editing by TheCartoonGamer
Voice Over by Remix
Sources/Further Reading:
64Dream Magazine, February 2000 issue (Japanese)
Nintendo Dream Magazine, November 2009 issue (Japanese)
Nintendo Dream Magazine, Feb/Mar issue (Japanese, next link is our English translation)
lavacutcontent.com/sugimori-m...
Nintendo Online Magazine, July 2000 issue (Japanese, next link is our English translation)
lavacutcontent.com/ishihara-s...
lavacutcontent.com/tajiri-tsu...
lavacutcontent.com/morimoto-h...
lavacutcontent.com/pokemon-go...
lavacutcontent.com/sugimori-h...
nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwa...
tcrf.net/Development:Pok%C3%A...
web.archive.org/web/202210100...
destructoid.com/pokemon-gold-...
thegamer.com/pokemon-gold-sil...
screenrant.com/pokemon-gen-2-...
/ til_that_pok%c3%a9mon_...
gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/...
neoseeker.com/forums/21237/t1...

#pokemon #nintendo #gamefreak

[@toxicink72]

Gen 2 was the most magical time for Pokemon. I'll never ever get tired of learning about everything that went on to give us Gold and Silver

[@Avocado_Gravy]

I think that's because from Gen 1 to Gen 2 to Gen 3 made such leaps and bounds in all aspects of gameplay. The "Golden Age" of pokemon lol. Add in a little pokemon coliseum. After emerald, it just felt to me like there was less to expand on, ya know? Being able to rebattle trainers? Muah!

[@fast0025ify]

Agreed! For me, Gen2 was the best gen by far. After that Pokémon changed too much for me to enjoy it. They focused too much on making cute Pokémon after gen2 instead of dangerous looking Pokémon. The cartoon became more dumbed down, focusing more younger kids, then older teens. And i feel somehow the soul behind Pokémon was lost after gen2. 😥

[@pablocasas5906]

It truly was an interesting time, Pokémon was about to be released in the West and when it did it became a huge hit and people where already talking about new monsters The fact that Internet rumors weren't well understood, so any news were taken at face value Not to mention that even in Japan Pokémon was having some PR troubles due to the Porygon incident which affected the anime's production which was a key part of Pokemon's promotional material

[@bruhmoment5974]

​@@fast0025ify"pokemon has no soul after gen 2" found the genwunner

[@Samrules888]

doodloot doot doot doot

[@PerfectCell9]

Gen 2 was pure magic for me. It is the most nostalgic I ever feel, seeing footage or any art relating to gold and silver. Even the box art just takes me back to a seemingly better and simpler time

[@RolandKoller90]

I miss those times so much

[@Derellrassy87]

Well said my friend but life as a way have bringing things in ferishion

[@TerpTheBandit]

If you haven't played it, Pokemon Crystal Clear is one of my favorite rom hacks, largely due to my love for gen 2. It's built on crystal and it brings an open world, pick your starting town/region, more starter Pokemon options, level scaling based on badges, sprinting, a character customization system and quite a bit more.

[@GoboyLolmubutt]

I completely agree with you on that my man, Gen 2 was awesome, so many new age players don't like it or straight hate it, If only they could've been 8 or 9 when Gen 2 came about, they would understand the majestic awesomeness that came with it, especially with crystal

[@aamirrazak3467]

Same it reminds of simpler times as a kid playing silver and crystal. The moving sprites in crystal especially were a huge step forward imo, and I remember being impressed seeing them in game. I remember working hard to get a tyranitar too

[@theglowcloud2215]

It's weird how much information is still being unearthed about Gen 2, which originally seemed fairly simple and straightforward in its development. Can't believe Crystal came out over 20 years ago 😭

[@mort767]

I’m a sucker when it comes to old-school pokemon facts

[@Olympicmetor787]

Me too

[@WiiFan-1300]

Same

[@xp0da]

same

[@Galdr]

Ditto. Especially since this was when I started playing as a kid.

[@DBSaiyanTim777]

​@@Galdrlol ditto.

[@hazycosmicjive9002]

The idea that people would discover what the colors were as they grew up is genius and extremely accurate lol

[@Tw0_Shanez]

Incredible someone thought to do that

[@Masssshysteria]

Lol I literally looked up all the English translations for the town names when I became a teenager. And thank god I did, it’s always good to know more words

[@Chalepastel]

he may not have put one whole of a game into a another game like we believed, but the man is still the man. RIP Iwata San

[@b-don7930]

he dis something arguably more important, helped the gameplay quality of the whole thing

[@internetguy7319]

you say this like people havent been using this fake deed of his to mock an entire staff of other talented programmers for years. for 90% of people using the rumor, this was never about honoring iwata, it was about shitting on game freak from back then to say they always were bad at coding

[@toumabyakuya]

@@internetguy7319 Heck, those people would also twist it enough so they could use the same rumor to shit on Modern GF as well.

[@Dave01Rhodes]

@@internetguy7319a lot of that isn’t really anything to do with Iwata. The Pokémon reverse engineering team found a lot of examples of sloppy code in the first 2 gens. It seems like GameFreak were teaching themselves how to program as they went and didn’t follow good practices. There’s evidence that GameFreak copied and pasted snippets of code that would have been better implemented as macros or subroutines. There’s also the oddball ways they implemented things in gen 1, like how the NPC sprites are handled in such a way that they draw onscreen facing down and sometimes even in wrong locations until their position and facing is corrected the next frame. It’s likely that Gen 2 would have been just as buggy as Gen 1 but more problems were caught during testing. Some of the maps in gen 2 were clearly redesigned to paper over engine bugs. I don’t want to say that GameFreak’s devs are incompetent. I think most of the blame for the shoddiness is the fault of The Pokemon Company refusing to delay any games, forcing GameFreak to crunch and cut corners to ship on time. But early on they were making a lot of novice mistakes that probably cost them a lot of time to deal with.

[@NintenBound]

@@toumabyakuya Which really makes no sense given there's many other better things to criticize them on (at least regarding the new games).

[@danimalforlife]

It was a blast working with you guys and sharing my research on Gen 2 compression algorithms! Video turned out great!

[@DJIVision]

Thanks Danimal :)

[@WatchVidsMakeLists]

Why is this comment being slept on?

[@danimalforlife]

@@WatchVidsMakeLists Because I posted it 19 hours after the video debuted.

[@WatchVidsMakeLists]

@danimalforlife Oh, I'm over here watching the video 20 hours late too 💀

[@Ali-gv1yw]

Great work and research done!

[@CarputingYT]

Its hard to make new content on these old games in 2023 but they still manage to do it, love this KZbin channel

[@miguelmejia4656]

these stories have already been done. this is just a refreshing way to look at things from a different youtubers perspective.

[@Kango234]

This is unironically the best channel on KZbin. The dedication to finding and translating old interviews and getting people to make art of old sprites is incredible.

[@Kirbizard]

And even pointing out and correcting previous mistakes. Love to see that.

[@Zer0Cat0]

Gold/Silver/Crystal give off the most ambitious, nostalgic feeling I think I ever get from a game. The music, immersive day/night cycle, large size, etc. Just such a comfy region. Loved the remakes but tbh I prefer the classics for the nostalgia.

[@PanelFlow]

I think it's important to highlight what Iwata actually did and how that made Gen 2 better & how he had a hand in the final piece that we played, versus continuing something that sounds more impressive but isn't true. This is better.

[@JayceCH.]

It was mostly used by people to discredit Gamefreak and call them fakers carried by Iwata, so yea. Its nice to have that shit shut down.

[@tammyads]

this is better :3

[@omiko4570]

That stork really looked like how bombirdier does... Maybe we'll finally see more of these old pokemon be reused eventually in future games!

[@paweldik3193]

Bellibolt!!!

[@CasualVideoGamer]

I’d be down to see a fire starter based on that Tanuki design.

[@Tailstraw_xD]

It always seemed like there was one more mystery to unravel about this game when I was a kid. I don't think it's possible for a game to hold me the way Gen 2 did ever again.

[@RolandKoller90]

Great way to describe it! I think it has a lot to do with our minds as children. Things seem much more magical.

[@tokyobandz3307]

I feel like it had to deal with the ruins of alph, the unown and the beta celebi, but that's just my headcanon lol

[@Tailstraw_xD]

@@tokyobandz3307 Also what happened to the graves in Lavender Town, the radio, being able to register trainers in your cell phone, the real-time day ight mechanic

[@royceflores23]

Bumping into Kanto was a pretty incredible moment for me. I kind of play Pokémon games these days hoping for that same “wow” moment.

[@MegaManNeo]

I swear, Gen 2 is the pinnacle of how awesome Pokemon can be. TO ME, that is since I was a kid back then myself. Even played the English version mom got me on a flea market when I couldn't even read my native language (which is German). Kids growing up today will make similar experiences under modern circumstances with new games.

[@CupofJoe_93]

Will never get tired of Johto trivia. Can’t wait for that HGSS episode.

[@safebox36]

For anyone wandering, Johto likely comes from the following kanji "城都" (jouto) meaning "metropolis of castles" or "capital of castles". Which makes more sense now why the Chinese translations of the series use those characters for the region's name. It's the same kanji used on Bulbapedia, the original Japanese interview, and the original Japanese blog. But the translation was just wildly incorrect...which is kinda odd that it didn't get corrected sooner. Edit: DYKGaming also didn't give full context to the translation. In kyoto street names get the suffix 都 (to) meaning "castle". So Kyoto is effectively a "city of castles" hence the inspiration behind the region's name. It is _not_ because Kyoto has a lot of castles itself, like they said in the video. Src: 64DREAM Feb 2000, the sentence before the one they read off. Edit edit: it might be because 郭 and 都 look similar despite different meanings. 城郭 gives "fortress" while 城都 gives "city of castles". So it's likely that the early official translation misidentified these two kanji.

[@dysphoria-chan]

And it's even weirder when the '都' kanji literal translation is 'capital', and Kyoto, the region it's inspired, also shares the same kanji. Makes me curious how that blog got a very incorrect translation...

[@gigastrike2]

Isn't that what they said in the video?

[@safebox36]

@@gigastrike2 mostly they never specified that the original kanji given is read as "jouto" / "johto" or that the Chinese name for the region has a very similar translation in English basically my comment was more "why was this not corrected on Bulbapedia sooner, this was an obvious mistake for both novice Japanese speakers or a translation app"

[@Chordata7]

Castle city if you will

[@PlaguevonKarma]

I really like the deer-boar Pokemon. It may have been a Game Corner prize. I wager it's based on the gambling Hanafuda game "Ino-Shika-Chō," where you draw and try to get either a boar, deer, or butterfly card. All it needs is a butterfly, the Chō portion. Maybe it used a lot of low accuracy moves?

[@IrrelevantPride]

plague von karma in the wild, love the rby bytes series

[@StonedHunter]

Aw man that woulda been cool

[@NintenSegaPlay]

Ooh so that explains a lot about Naruto lol

[@unboundferocity117]

Didn’t know that Naruto got that from a game made for gambling XD. But it’s a nice surprise

[@safebox36]

Worth noting that "souls of the dead" is a more poetic translation of "hitodama" rather than a literal one. The literal translation is just "human soul".

[@Cr3zant]

Those two phrases literally mean the same thing though?

[@DavidSartor0]

@@Cr3zant Live people have souls, maybe.

[@safebox36]

​@@Cr3zant I mean yes but you don't say "motorized automobile", you say "car" same thing, but one is more poetic and descriptive edit: also in modern times, a hitodama can refer to a living person's soul due to western influences of spirituality different regions in Japan still retain the folklore that it's specifically for ambivalent spirits that have just left the deceased

[@safebox36]

@@DavidSartor0 I wondered that too according to Japanese sources, it was originally used specifically for human souls that had just left the body and were neither benevolent nor vengeful > 死人のからだから離れた魂 > a soul that has left the body in modern times it just refers to any human soul due to western influences of spirituality though different regions in Japan have different folklore around what counts as a hitodama

[@knowwhoiamyet]

I didn't think gen 2 was named after colors, I thought it was named after types of trees and flowers lol 4:31 - Nice to see that lil guy on the bottom row lived on decades later in the form of a Kirby game

[@stevencraeynest7729]

yeah, exactly, all the towns and cities are types of wood

[@asherdevin]

tbf I think a lot of colors come from plant names since those are probably the first places we experience those colors. That and minerals

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

​@@asherdevinPink comes from the pink plant

[@Ability-King-KK]

I kinda wish they had kept that middle form from the Natu line so it's not lost forever. At least with cut pre-evolutions and cut final evolutions, there's always a chance they can be brought back in future Generations, but a cut middle evolution is just gone for good. The cut stork Pokémon clearly came back as Bombirdier, except it carries rocks now instead of babies. The cut boar Pokémon I can already see being based off of the InoShikaCho, a combination of Hanafuda cards that use the boar, deer, and butterfly cards. The combination also serves as the inspiration of not only Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji from the _Naruto_ series, but also a filler character from early _Dragon Ball._ Chances are this cut boar Pokémon would have gained butterfly wings upon evolution, as the DB filler character didn't have wings until it grew older.

[@lovedeath9075]

Maybe as an alternate evo line. Im a fan of this design as well. Always felt that the Natu Xatu line was missing something.

[@eddmario]

@@lovedeath9075 It could also be a regional form as well

[@pigglypoof]

In regards to that Natu middle evolution Many spectate that Hisuian Liligant was the scrapped middle evolution after Petilil, it was reused for the Legends game If that is true maybe that middle Natu stage will be reworked

[@Ability-King-KK]

@@pigglypoof I'm not seeing it. Hisui Liligant doesn't look like she would fit between Petilil and Unova Liligant. And even then, with what Ken Sugimori said about a third evolution implies that Liligant would have evolved into something instead of there being a middle stage.

[@lrgogo1517]

What's the name of this DB character?

[@furretfan450]

the older words for colors being used so kids will know them when they’re older actually happened so much to me growing up lol

A funny thing happened to me when I started using colored pencils in elementary. I almost noticed the same names of the pencils and the areas in Gen 1 and 2 and thought "oh they named them after the pencils?"

[@trevor0078]

my question is wut about new bark? u also have cherrygrove but wen I think cherrygrove I think pink so I guess that's a color name. id was gonna say blackthorn but like "black"thorn even tho technically its not a color

[@lpnp9477]

​@i was a crayon aficionado before ever playing video games. When I finally got around to playing Gen 1 I said out loud, "CERULEAN!" because it was my favourite crayon.

[@Liliphant_]

​@@trevor0078 the Johto names are based on plants

[@mariokarter13]

7:30 It's like Bombirdier fused with Kangaskhan.

[@chadd990]

When he mentions that the sprites were requested to drop from 4 colors to two, then he shows two hypothetical examples: Wouldn't white simply not be a color? I'm not too familiar with gameboy color palettes, but wouldn't they just be able to leave the white area as negative space, as to use the background color? idk, maybe that would be a bad idea if the background changes color. It always amazes me though how early sprite artists made the most out what they had with tight restrictions.

[@DJIVision]

In the interview Watanabe says the final sprites had 4 colors, but Sugimori wanted them to only have 2. The final sprites use white as 1 of the 4, so white was considered as taking up one color space when the 2 color versions were made by RacieBeep for this video.

[@Hex.A.Decimal]

White and black are colours in a palette and count towards the space restriction. Usually you see black, white, and two other colours. The sprite I made as my PFP is gen 2 spects. You can do quite a lot with 4 colours. 2 is too few and he was smoking crack imo.

[@BloodDripss]

the work you guys have been doing for us english pokemon players is just nothing short of miraculous. i imagine we would have a LOT less accurate information these days if not for your teams amazing dedication to translating and finding these old news articles and interviews. personally i find this knowledge to be HUGE for pokemon as a whole. thanks for this awesome video!

[@ender7278]

Masuda ghost directing Gold and Silver is huge! This changes everything about my perspective on the games.

[@mesmorrow]

The begining of the downfall era.

[@KipTM]

​@@mesmorrow???????

[@TheArtunism]

@@mesmorrowi mean that would imply Red/Blue/Yellow were the peak… and that’s not true at all lol

[@Rot8erConeX]

@@TheArtunism I think they're talking about how Masuda is a large reason why more recent games have been poor - his feeling that with mobile games on the rise we don't need postgames anymore; his insistence that fans "deserve" a game every year; his feeling that preventing miscommunication by not making teams too big is more important than getting games done (and saying he'd work with only a team of 20 if he could "get away with it"); his super anti-crunch attitude that under normal circumstances would be celebrated but when combined with the previous two points results in Game Freak knowingly shipping unfinished games because they just weren't allowed the work-hours to finish the features they wanted to finish; etc. And while that's a fair assessment to make, I don't think that Masuda really became a burden until after Gen 5. Gen 5 was *his* passion project, showing what the series would be like if he had been in control from the beginning. And despite being hailed as the best of the series *now* , at release it was shunned by critics and fans. So it deflated his enthusiasm, and basically he phoned it in for the next three gens before finally being "promoted" out of Game Freak.

[@davebob4973]

@@Rot8erConeX i thought people wanted shorter games with worse graphics

[@ThePsychoticWombat]

With how many random battles you encounter, I think Iwatas algoritm being a speedup is even better, storage can always be brute forced like they did it.

[@harm991]

Indeed

[@misterzygarde6431]

I would love to see more of Gen 2’s Pokemon get evolutions. An artist I follow (Jwalnut) did this Fire/Steel Magcargo evolution called Machargo that made it look as if it’d be much faster.

[@ThatOneCloudGuy]

"To us, they don't feel fully complete" - Game Freak That one didn't age quite so well

[@iceberg0404]

Speaking of hitodama, animal crossing has a wisp that comes around at night that looks nearly identical to the one in pokemon. They call it wisp. Upon talking to wisp, it gets scared and 5 souls seperate from it. It's become a favorite of mine that I look forward running into. 👻

[@wolfiemuse]

You left out the most important part of collecting all the pieces of himself he shits out, so you can put him back together 😂

[@MAZZ0Murder]

Gen II is my favorite generation, so it's always interesting learning more about it's development!

[@alexthetiger7806]

Not just learning more about my favorite Pokemon game, but learning about why storks were associated with delivering babies

[@BrennanMorris]

Gen 2 is my favorite Gen!!!!! I'm 20 but I love it so much. Crystal is like my prized possession.

[@UfodexENMD]

That racoon story is the same as the South Park episode where Cartman feeds Scott his parents lol

[@ConchobarJ]

Trey Parker is a huge fan of Japanese culture and even speaks fluent Japanese, so maybe he took inspiration from that.

[@Toxin__0]

I love how much you guys get into the creative vision of pokemon and how you find quotes specifically about how the devs both affect the products before hand, and how they feel about them afterwards. If there are any interviews talking about what the individual developers proudest achievements are in the series I would love to see that. I just love hearing about artist talk about their initial visions and how the final products compare

[@exaltedarchvile4357]

My god, it's so heartwarming and humbling to hear just how much passion and effort went into making these games the best they can possibly be and push the limits of the hardware in doing so. You just straight up don't get that with the newer games, it's all crunching and meeting yearly deadlines to maximize profit now because the execs know that Pokemon is a household name and will sell gangbusters no matter what. Don't believe me? Read the job reviews from various former Game Freak employees. They are very much aware about the blatant lack of quality in the mainline games after the jump to the switch.

[@DELTARYZ]

The quality’s been tanking since XY imho. I feel like gen 5, though it does have plenty of its own issues, really was the pinnacle of game freak’s creative ambition.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

​@@DELTARYZNo it wasn't, it's the start of a lot of issues with the later games like not focusing on innovating or fixing anything or the constant gimmicks

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

There's still effort when it comes to music and designs

[@KartKing4ever]

The Nintendo Giga Leak has been the best thing that has ever happened to this channel, and for video game preservation.

[@MithDragon]

Gen 2 naming scheme for the towns was the best. And he was absolute right about revisiting those old fashion naming conventions as an adult. I've run into those numerous times and enjoy every moment when I see "Goldenrod" irl.

[@charlesswansonii9319]

Damn it, because of this video, I pieced together in my head Zeroranger reference logic. With Cianwood City meaning 'cyan', and being 'sky blue', it made me realize that THAT'S why one of the OST tracks is named Sky Blue Days. And Tanba being an 'ocean green' is the same as the teal/greens used in its major motifs of green and orange hues, and oh no, I've gone cross-eyed

[@Deoxys911]

I wonder if perhaps there was a time that they felt they may have to leave out Kanto to help ensure the games ran faster and that's what they're referring to when they say that Iwata's programming allowed them to include the region in the final release?

[@Kormeister]

Yeah, they didn't explain why those statements exist. So how are they true still?

[@philipmurphy2]

Gold and Silver was a top mark of not enough storage on a Game Boy in the end

[@Dave01Rhodes]

They could have used up to 4MB (fully populated MBC30) if they really needed to. They only needed 1MB.

[@davidn90]

Gen 2 will always be my favorite.

[@mads_in_zero]

The Spaceworld leak, with the Gen 1 compression algorithm, loads a little slower than Gold and Silver. But the Leak was with the version of the game that had the whole of Japan... scaled down to about the same size as Kanto. So once they'd settled on Johto and Kanto instead, I'm sure the loads would've been even slower, probably slow enough to be really noticeable. That's probably the "problems" they mention in Sun and Moon. Iwata's compression _did_ help Kanto make it into the game, but not in the way you'd assume from hearing that.

[@goranisacson2502]

Huh, that sounds plausible- I was wondering what he meant when he said Iwata helped them since a high-speed algorithm didn't really seem to be THAT useful, but if they had to load significantly more data saving extra few seconds would probably be a godsend.

[@mads_in_zero]

@@goranisacson2502 Someone on twitter checked the original Japanese for that Sun and Moon quote - the translator for the game made a slight mistake, Iwata didn't help them "fitting" everything, he helped them "compress" it. It means the same thing on the surface, but like I said, means something different than what you'd assume. So the mistake was understandable on the translator's part...

[@jdhathrisen]

I never knew there was a whole gamut of unused Gen 2 Pokémon that Tajiri designed. Made my day. Some of them are so cool!!

[@JL-yw1cp]

Especially the scorpion😮 way cooler than skorupi

[@marhawkman303]

@@JL-yw1cp The great tragedy of Gen 1 and gen 2 is that the devs cut over half the pokemon they designed. Like... Blastoise wasn't originally an evo of Squirtle! It was something entirely different! the original final evo of Squirtle was cut, as was the pre-evos of Blastoise.

[@JL-yw1cp]

@@marhawkman303 I didn't know that

[@wolfiemuse]

@@marhawkman303to be totally fair a lot of the ideas they used for the cut Pokémon have been reused in newer Pokémon. So it’s not like they’re gone, it’s like… the beta version of a Pokémon, if that makes sense

[@marhawkman303]

@@wolfiemuse Some of them did yes, some(probably most) will never be seen again. Also the ideas that did get used somehow... a lot of them got radically changed.

[@KiiroKiiroTorini]

Amazing that Johto got delayed from its initial release from 1997 to 1999, which I think is impossible for the Pokemon Company can do now with how they got way too big for their own good, deadline and mandatory annual release is killing the quality of the games.

[@jazzercise300]

Yea I love the quality of life upgrades and a lot of the new mons (gen 1/2 had a lot of uncreative mons as well so always hate that argument. Compare voltorb to volcarona, gen 1 vs 5) but performance wise they're trash. Story and game play is kinda silly now too. As a kid I really wanted open world, 3D pokemon. Now that we have it, it's a huge dissapointment.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

​@@jazzercise300Voltorb is very creative though

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

​@@jazzercise300We definitely have more effort in the story and gameplay now, it's the performance and unfinished nature that's the issue

[@Spudmay]

This was super cool! Thanks for compiling all this wonderful information. Always love seeing Racie's artwork on these. It has been wonderful working with her in the Monster Crown games.

[@iviyohane]

I thought Masuda didn't even work on Gold and Silver. This was a surprise. However, it makes sense why he was promoted to director of the series from Ruby/Sapphire to X/Y. I wonder if he directed Crystal as well, as none of the other third versions were directed by Masuda (Shigeki Morimoto directed Emerald; Takeshi Kawachimaru directed Platinum; Takao Unno directed B2W2 and Kazumasa Iwao directed USUM). I think that's the reason why BDSP included almost nothing from Platinum (and I bet the few things that were included are there because of Yuichi Ueda, the other director). I love Gold, Silver and Crystal, and I think Masuda's direction was better than Tajiri's in this case, but I would like to see what Tajiri had in mind, being materialized.

[@DJIVision]

He was credited as sub-director for GS, but according to him he took over director duties mid-development. Got Crystal he was credited simply as the director.

[@retsuza]

I absolutely love the debunking this channel does, even when I liked the myths (Tajiri's autism, Iwata's compression). Lot of work and collaboration involved and I'm so grateful for it

[@Cuprite1024]

I always assumed the Johto towns were named after plants. Huh. Neat.

[@Gnarfledarf]

I thought they had been named after trees.

[@101jayrad]

Gen 2 will always be my favorite and most nostalgic. Back then new generations weren’t expected. It was a genuine surprise to get two new games and more Pokémon! I remember being so excited when I heard the news when I was little! 😁

[@tenken73]

Years later as an adult, still learning so much from Pokémon. From business to storks, to design process, to random networking being the start of a generation. Great video

[@viewtifuljacob]

Wish they kept the old artwork for the trainers from gen 2. Ethan looks smug and worthy of taking down Red compared to his Soul Silver counterpart.

[@SSBMFAITE]

As for Iwata's Algorithm, I appreciate that it was a high-speed code. For all the time I spent playing gen 2, those small fractions savings saved younger me so many hours.

[@pt4536]

I think your conclusion on Iwata's contribution is wrong - it just seems like a huge leap in logic to argue that Game Freak themselves had no idea what exactly he contributed, and that they were duped by an internet rumour and included that info in-game

[@DJIVision]

Not long ago Masuda said in an interview that GS were upgraded from .25MB cartridges to .5MB. It was actually .5MB to 1MB. Not having a go at Masuda. But cart space and code are pretty clear, despite the devs maybe forgetting or misunderstanding the details.

[@pt4536]

Ehh, I don't think Masuda misspeaking in a random interview, and a fact included by GF in one of their games as a tribute/acknowledgement of the then-recently deceased Iwata are comparable. Its not like they accidently quoted the wrong number for some statistic or anything: this would be them completely misremembering or having no clue what his contribution was and how it affected development. It just doesn't track to me that they'd unwittingly put out information that happened to align with circulated info on the internet, but were wrong in saying it.

[@novelezra]

Dude; that artist knocked their pokemon renditions out of the PARK. Seriously incredible stuff.

[@caodesignworks2407]

I really wish they'd have used many of the tossed Gen 2 Pokemon for other gens. They look and feel better than a lot of gen 3/ 4/ 5, etc... pokemon

[@RockyC89]

I still remember the hype leading up to G/S back in the day. 11 year old me must’ve played thru the whole night on release date.

[@thepanelbiter9915]

7:05 that raccoon dog pulled a Cartman

[@dimetrodon2250]

4:30 Elfilin?!

[@multilad816]

7:13 Gotta be honest, this scrapped Pokemon looks even more lazier designed than Voltorb and Seel 8:10 So Bombirdier is the revived version of that unnamed scrapped crane Pokemon 8:18 I honestly did not noticed that Natu evolution line was not fulfilled 8:58 Could be beta version to Stanler 8:59 Could be beta version of either Politoad, or Froakie evolutionary line 9:02 Could be a beta version to Elekid 9:04 Could be the spiritual successor to that skeletal Kabutops I hoped more cut Pokemon would be revived for future games

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

Voltorb isn't lazy? It's actually kinda genius, it makes sense there's a Pokemon that looks like a Poke Ball, and it's based on the mimic in RPGs

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

In the case of Seel they kinda need some basic animals in the first gen don't you think? I wouldn't expect a really weird and out there Pokemon like Klefki would exist before a basic bird, cat, dog, etc

[@finalrush7]

man that skullgreymon pokemon looked amazing

[@arc7375]

Named after colours like Gen 1? The Gen 2 towns are named after trees and types of wood in English.

[@homogenized]

This video was fantastic, but I especially loved the bit about Takao Unno right at the end. Had me tearing up a bit!

[@maddsmon6181]

This was the video that made me subscribe again Pokemon is so deep lore and development wise! Really cool to see you guys dash so many misconceptions!

[@realkekz]

I love how you guys have been doing the same thing for like over a decade now and you still haven't lost the touch, I can ALWAYS sit through a DYKG vid!

[@TheOneAndOnlyFroBoy]

the two myths debunked are HUGE!!!! Possibly the best Pokemon video on the channel now WOW!

[@agentofforce3467]

Theres no way to tell if gold/silver were planned to be the last games or not. That could have been the plan before pokemon even aired.

[@therobotchickenMLP]

Every time I see the cut Pokemon, it's like seeing them for the first time all over again. For some reason, I only retain a few of them in my memory.

[@Nisfornarwhal1990]

That middle Evo for Natu... damm, I would've loved that

[@BruceNJeffAreMyFlies]

Their intent with gold and silvers naming scheme, using colours, is a little ironic. I actually had that experience with the originals - it took me a fair few years to realise that cinnabar and cerulean were colours. As for gold and silver, however, things like newbark and ecruteak (i just assumed ecruteak was a type of teak) lead me to think the naming convention was trees rather than colours.

[@Ashley6100]

I'm so glad to see someone else say this - I was convinced it was trees (well, wood anyway) as well! New Bark, Mahogany, CyanWOOD..

[@F1areon]

I think in Johto's case it's a mix of both colors AND plants

[@Ness-op2uy]

Wow interesting, never knew that Tajiri already stepped back in Gen 2 development, I always thought he finished Gen 2.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

Would explain why he just disappeared and never came back

[@MadTimmy]

TIFO: South Park lifted the idea of Eric Cartman feeding his bully’s parents to him from a Japanese folk story.

[@kylopat1652]

6:50 that got dark really quick.

[@jondo7680]

I'm not sure about your interpretation about the algorithm. Who says that they would have used the Kanto algorithm if they wouldn't use the new and fast one? Maybe the Kanto algorithm was too slow to be acceptable for gold and silver so that they first wrote another fast algorithm which took far too much space. And than that algorithm was replaced by the actual one which is still fast but was also smaller than the trashed algorithm.

[@meikaishi]

I agree, I don't think a cold look at the code can tell the whole story, because otherwise the way the fact was presented would imply that even the people working at GF were mistaken about Iwata's contribution, as seen from the in-game easter egg

[@ikorraks]

Yes this is how I understood it, the explanation has probably been passed through many people and mis-translated to the point where it's not clear enough any more. From what they said, my understanding is that they didn't have room for all of Kanto, until Iwata used coding from earthbound and other games to create a lot more space. The idea that his codes were written well enough to increase available space, instead of coding magically increasing storage size.

[@DJIVision]

The Kanto algorithm was used for early builds of GS, like the Space World 1997 demos. Then they switched to using Iwata's algorithm later in development. Unless there was another algorithm in between that we don't know about (despite the many leaked builds) that had even less space than the Kanto and Iwata algorithms, but I don't think that's the case. It probably would've been revealed by all the leaks, and idk why they'd use an algorithm like that in the first place.

[@DJIVision]

@@meikaishiNot a dig because it's been a long time with a lot of games, but GF's forgotten a lot about those games. A few years ago they said GS were upgraded mid-development from .250MB to .500MB. It was actually .500 to 1MB (then 2MB for the English version). Morimoto also mixed up content in an interview on the official GF channel from what was in GS and what was in HGSS. Masuda also said no Pokémon cut from Gen 1 were used in Gen 2. But Sugimori said there were, and the leaks show there were. There's a lot GF's forgotten about over the years (or possibly individuals never knew or understood in the first place).

[@NukeOTron]

Half of those prototype 'Mon designs go well with Earthbound music.

[@TheCrankyTechnician]

There is no other piece of art/media I love and cherish more than Gold/Silver. I had watched the Animé, watched my friends play Red and Blue but nothing comes and will ever come close to the day my dear mother bought me Gold and I booted it up on the train back home for the first time. Choosing Tododile as my first ever starter and beginning my adventure is one of my most beloved memories ever and I will remember it as long as I'm alive

[@MajorUpgrade760]

Your story is so relatable. Having gold as my first pokemon game ever and also totodile as my first starter ever. This game has always been such a big part of my childhood to me that I play to this day. I have a glacier blue gba and my gold version here with me at work 😂😅 The first 3 generations of pokemon will always be in my hands with gen 2 on top. Even when I'm old I can see myself enjoying these games. Possibly going for a live shiny dex!

[@ignacioreyes5604]

To keep learning about games I grew up with is a joy I won’t ever truly comprehend, but thankful to enjoy.

[@benamisai-kham5892]

It's like learning the mysteries you always wondered about as a kid almost. It's a magic that's gone but man I love knowing there's more new info that we didn't know existed so much.

[@wolfiemuse]

10:13 unironically yes, it looks better on actual hardware. Going to the effort of modding a game boy cart to show this image for a 3-second, half-serious joke is one of the reasons I appreciate DYKG. Attention to detail.

[@Bobistheone1]

I knew that rumor about Gold and Silver being the planned end for the series was bull. Their sales beforehand were insane, would make no sense to give up after that.

[@CEDL0W]

Gold and silver where in development before the Gen 1 games exploded in sales so the rumor of them being the final games was believable.

[@JayceCH.]

@@CEDL0W And it was false equivalence at best. Armchair videogamedevs I swear lmao.

[@rodneyhorsley8601]

Gen 2 has some awesome memories for me going from Gen 1 to Gen 2 with what was new. I played the hell out of it back then. Gen 3 was just as amazing. Gen 1-3 were definitely the best era of Pokemon.

[@pokemonduck]

Love the use of Holy Grail footage for the middle ages :D

[@DJIVision]

Haha thanks, I wanted to find something like a medieval wedding reenactment but couldn't find anything like that. So just figured Monty Python'd work too :)

[@Xshunin]

Seeing how much love was put into the older Pokemon games makes it so sad to see how current generation games come out :( Good old times I guess. Thank you for these new facts and for telling us the truth about the Iwata Code!

[@CJVERG16]

I love finding out about old facts about my favorite pokemon game, especially Hoot Hoot's lore 😭

[@eliasmcdsipe]

Just got a copy of HeartGold last week to start playing. Keep the videos coming these are awesome

[@M_Alexander]

It's amazing how there's always more

[@benjamindonovan8728]

Despite all the flaws in the game, Gen II is still my favorite. Felt the most immersive to me for some reason. Think it was just a vibe thing due to the artwork, setting, etc

[@DELTARYZ]

I’ve always felt like gen 2 had some of the strongest and most impactful vibes, and it’s not always clear why that is exactly. It really triggers a feeling of bittersweet nostalgia like nothing else can.

[@JayceCH.]

@@DELTARYZ Its because it does its best to make it feel like an adventure. Low exp included. Ill never understand why idiots say the level curve is a negative. It adds immensely to the RPG aspects.

[@kivatkjiggy6863]

@@JayceCH. it could still “feel like an adventure” with a better level curve.

[@iamthenight1000]

The only complaint I sort of agree with is the day and night circle made the screen too dark, considering Game Boys didn't have built-in lights until the SP. Didn't bother me at the time.

[@dylanwicklund5129]

8:29 that middle evolution is amazing i wish they didnt cut it as it really adds to the native american vibe they went for with them

[@TheLamartian]

Sadly, that may be why it was removed and Xatu was altered. Looking at some prototype designs, it seems clear someone wanted to tone down the Native American influence that was present in some of them. I'm sure it was just a placeholder, but at one point, the original design for what became Celebi was actually an exact copy of a Native American deity. It was altered at least twice to become the Celebi we know today.

[@Milk0matic]

gen 2 will always be the best generation for me, tightly followed by gen 2 remake

[@VintagePokemonHunter]

This channels pokemon information is so important 👌 thanks for the hard work and time put into these seriously

[@Docmain3]

A few tweaks and gen 2 is peak Pokemon. Spawn locations, movesets, evo items...

[@V-Jes]

Few? The games need a full rebalance for that, considering how bad it's level scaling and the treatment of Johto Pokémon is in these games...

[@Eminster]

Platinum, emerald and bw2 still slam dunk it

[@natesamadhi33]

Gen 3 (Emerald specifically) beats Gen 2 for the Battle Frontier alone

[@CEDL0W]

GSC+Pokémon stadium 2 with the transfer pak is absolutely peak Pokémon imo.

[@Eminster]

@@CEDL0W how? Gen 3, 4 and 5 body it

[@EvilApple567]

Even though I've heard that GS finale rumor repeatedly for at least a decade, it never made sense to me they would leave a once in a lifetime lucrative bombshell like that behind. It's also pretty funny the Iwata programming miracle rumor took the place of a much more logical and believable explanation (2 regions, twice the space). People love a good story I guess, and reality is often disappointing (I also believed it from again, hearing it repeatedly for over a decade). Also kinda bummed the second stage Xatu got axed, for some reason I find its design much more appealing than the two finals.

[@justinarney3050]

personally I thought the theory came from what was originally planned before Pokémon became popular. Like GF knew they were going to at least make a 2nd game even though Red and Green were not selling well when they came out. The interview they use here to try to disprove the theory comes from after Red and Green were already selling well. It could be questioned still if Pokemon would even makes a 3rd gen if their games just didn't sell

[@JayceCH.]

Xatu mid evo looks ugly AF. And the people who made these rumors are fucking genwunner's/Pokemon haters.

[@JayceCH.]

@@justinarney3050 Like look at this stupid doomposter. Pokemon was a blockbuster game dude.

[@justinarney3050]

@@JayceCH. 1- not a doompost just a theory. 2-If you read my post I was talking about before it started selling well. Pokemon Red and Green didn't even hit the GB top 10 sales chart when it originally came out. It was the rumor of mew being in the game that caused people to go crazy for it.

[@HypnoSwag]

I remember emulating a fan translation of Pokemon Gold in 1999 on my HP before it was released in the U.S. Good times.

[@fancypotato1873]

SoulSilver was the first Pokemon game I ever owned and I love Crystal even more. Can't wait for the next video!

[@NanaKyoto]

Starting to see why many consider Gold and Silver to be the best in the series.

[@bradenwardle8402]

The level of respect you show Iwata for his work speaks volumes to the class and character of everyone at DYKG. I just wanted to call out that it's noticed and appreciated.

[@TheLamartian]

I think DYKG went a little overboard in this instance. While it's admirable that they want to honor his memory, this information is certainly not a knock to Mr. Iwata's competency or his legacy. It's just correcting the misinfo about his contributions, and arguably this is an even more substantial contribution than previously thought. Yet they sat on this information for five years and let the misinfo spread without impedance. Surely someone as upstanding as Mr. Iwata also would want to be remembered for accomplishments he actually achieved.

[@WaterKirby1994]

Violet is 1 of the most famous colors as 1 of the Rainbow 7. Kanto Locations English Names can get obscure such as Pewter, Celadon, or Saffron. From what I understand Johto English Names are based on plants, Violets & Azaleas are flowers, olive vines, Mahogany is a type of wood. The roof colors matching the Japanese names was a cool bit of trivia lost in translation. Also ironic is how you said most of the Johto Dex was scrapped yet so many familiar species are shown Chikorita, Meganium, Skarmory, Qwilfish, Quagsire, Hoothoot, Crobat, Slowking, Smeargle, Umbreon, & Unown as well as the Mareep, Phanpy, & Natu Families all being extremely close to their final designs. Quite a few others in the Space World Demo are recognizable as Beta Designs of existing species.

[@szellemsam]

I love when you guys talk about pokemon (and zelda) because there's always some interesting stuff

[@tinyrogerts6449]

Nothing will EVER top Gen 1 and 2 Pokémon (cards, games, anime, etc.). I wish I could go back and experience it all over again... and actually keep my binder of all 151 Gen 1 cards instead of giving it away to an annoying neighbor kid that I just wanted to leave me alone.

[@teapottanuki5841]

Wait. Game Freak debugs games?!

[@bgjck]

Looking at the early concept for the Johto Pokedex is really interesting. A lot of these designs were really cool and could have made great Pokemon.

[@DistrictOfCriminalz]

These videos make my whole week, sometimes month. I LOVE these old unknown Pokemon facts. Brings me back my childhood 🥹